Americans will have to hope that a lottery can bring in more talented immigrants. After just 5 days, the 85,000 visa quota for high-skilled immigrants has been maxed out (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ff-high-tech-visas-20130406,0,3371117.story), two-months faster than last year. Now, eager immigrants will have to submit to a lottery for a chance to work in the U.S.
High-skilled immigration reform is a top priority for the nation's technology sector. Nearly a quarter of engineering and technology companies had at least one foreign-born founder (http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/07/report-for-first-time-in-decades-us-is-bleeding-high-skilled-immigrants/), and have been responsible for many of the most profitable firms, from PayPal to Google.
Unfortunately, high-skilled immigration reform has been stalled in the U.S. Congress until it can pass comprehensive reform. For a more thorough run-down on the arguments on both sides, check out a debate we held (http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/10/dear-congressman-gutierrez-please-lift-your-hold-on-silicon-valley/) between high-skilled reform expert, Vivek Wadhwa, and Congressman Gutierrez.
A draft of the comprehensive immigration reform law is expected to hit Congress this month. Expect a a long, vicious fight (http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/21/watch-an-angry-town-hall-make-immigration-reform-more-difficult/).
Via: TechCrunch